Data Centers: Daily Notes | April 13, 2026
Colorado confronts data center moratorium and dueling state bills; Oklahoma committee demands closed-loop cooling for groundwater permits.
At A Glance 🔽
- Colorado lawmakers debate dueling bills on tax breaks and guardrails as Denver's moratorium heads to full council vote this spring.
- Oklahoma House committee unanimously requires data centers to use closed-loop cooling for groundwater permits.
- Smithfield, RI Planning Board advances two-year data center ban to Town Council.
- Union Township, PA sends draft data center ordinance to county planning for review, preempting any developer proposals.
- Brentwood, MO aldermen consider classifying data centers as conditional use in light industrial zoning; vote set for April 20.
COLORADO
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston's February call for a citywide moratorium on data center construction has triggered a statewide reckoning over how Colorado regulates the industry. The City Council's planning committee approved a measure on March 31 to form a working group on zoning, energy, water and ratepayer protections. The full council is expected to vote on a one-year moratorium this spring.
“Data centers power the technology we depend upon and strengthen our economy,” said Mayor Mike Johnston. “But as this industry evolves, so must our policies. This pause allows us to put clear and consistent guardrails in place while protecting our most precious resources and preserving our quality of life.
- Denvergov.org, "Denver Announces Moratorium on New Data Centers"
OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma's House Energy Committee unanimously approved an amendment to a groundwater metering bill that would require data centers to use closed-loop cooling systems to receive a permit for state groundwater. The amendment was added to Senate Bill 259, which broadly requires commercial groundwater users to meter their wells.
SMITHFIELD, Rhode Island
Smithfield's Planning Board voted to advance a zoning amendment that would define and ban data centers for at least two years across all zoning categories. The Town Council will take up the measure at its May 5 meeting.
"Schedule a public hearing on May 5, 2026 to consider, discuss, and act upon amendments to the Smithfield Zoning Ordinance; Article 2 entitled “Definitions” and Article 4, Section 4.3 entitled “Table of Uses” relating to data centers..."
UNION TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania
Union Township supervisors authorized their solicitor on April 8 to send a draft data center ordinance to the Lebanon County Planning Department and township planning commission for review. The ordinance would limit data centers to industrial zoning districts.
BRENTWOOD, Missouri
Brentwood's Board of Aldermen held a public hearing on April 6 on a bill that would classify data centers as a conditional use in the city's light industrial district, requiring a public hearing and resident notification before any facility is approved.
Applicants would also need to meet requirements for pre- and post-build studies, sound standards and ongoing monitoring. The board will take up a second reading before deciding whether to pass the bill as an ordinance on April 20.
> BILL NO. 6602 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING MULTIPLE SECTION OF TITLE IV, CHAPTER 400 OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES...
> NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
STRisker Calendar Tracker
Staying ahead of STR regulations isn’t just about deadlines—it’s about knowing what’s coming. Our Calendar Tracker keeps you informed on upcoming meetings, key votes, and policy changes, so you never miss a critical update.
Stay Updated with STRisker!
STRisker offers tools and features to keep you updated with the Short Term Rental movement (and now Data Centers!) movement across the world.
👍 We’d love your feedback.
Which stories hit? Which ones missed?
We're exploring a new branch of topics centered around Data Centers and want to make it even more useful for you.
✉️ Just reply directly to this email. We read and respond to every message!
-Will McClure
🙋 P.S.
Know someone else who should be reading Daily Notes? Feel free to forward this along. We’re opening a few more spots.